freeing himself of it, besides the reward he earns for fighting in Allah’s cause. Likewise, anyone who wishes Allah to expiate his sins of invoking the rallying cries of pre-Islamic ignorance and displaying its partisan zeal should fight in Allah’s cause. Those who take sides out of loyalty to tribes or other groupings—such as Qays, Yaman, Hilāl, Asad and the like—when any of them is killed, both the killer and the slain are in the Fire. It is authentically reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When two Muslims confront one another with their swords, both the killer and the slain are in the Fire.” He was asked, “Messenger of Allah, we understand about the killer, but why the slain?” He replied, “He was intent on killing his brother.”

Both al-Bukhārī and Muslim recorded it in their Sahīh collections. He also said, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Whoever is killed under a banner of blind allegiance, becoming angry out of partisanship and calling others to partisanship, is in the Fire.”

Muslim narrated it. He also said, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Whoever invokes the rallying cries of the people of pre-Islamic ignorance, tell him to bite his father’s private part, and do not use euphemisms.”

Ubayy ibn Kaʿb heard a man say, “Rally, people of so-and-so!” He told him, “Bite your father’s penis!” The man said, “Abū al-Mundhir, you have never used foul language.” He replied, “This is what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded us to do.” Ahmad narrated it in his Musnad.

The meaning of his words, “Whoever invokes the rallying cries of pre-Islamic ignorance,” is that he calls upon people using their cries of affiliation, identifying himself with them when rallying support—for example, saying, “Rally, Qays! Rally, Yaman! Rally, Hilāl! Rally, Asad!” Anyone who is partisan toward the people of his town, his school of thought, his path, his relatives or his friends, to the exclusion of others, has a trait of pre-Islamic ignorance in him, until the believers hold fast—as Allah Most High has commanded them—to His rope, His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger. For